The Credibility Factor – Leveraging the Power of PR

By William Russell
March 4, 2014

Promoting your company’s offerings and telling the world that your solution is the best available is important.  Almost anyone can do it and just about any claim can be made about your product or service.  However, most of us would agree that we need to see supporting proof to claims made by companies before we fully believe them.  What we’re all really looking for is validation behind the claim.

How do you establish credibility for the solution offerings of your company? 

One of the best ways is through the power of public relations.  While customer testimonials and success profiles certainly provide one form of validation, effectively applied PR efforts allow you to leverage exposure provided by unbiased third party entities.  This includes timely and newsworthy press releases, announcements and similar PR activities.  While the media can at times work against you, more often they can work for you by providing favorable coverage on your company.   

Consistency is the key 

When you include a consistent public relations plan to your marketing activities, you will begin to build the credibility factor for your business.  This means following a developed schedule of PR activities that you will implement throughout the year.  Taking this approach puts your business in front of the right media groups, associations, analysts and other market influencers on a regular basis.  As you build these media relationships, you will soon be recognized as a dependable contributor for newsworthy information.  And, the market will begin to see your business featured across various PR platforms which will build recognition for your brand.   

Get media-friendly

Take into consideration news releases issued by your company.  When the media publishes your release, you are receiving unbiased promotion by a third party entity.  Because your targeted media are considered trusted sources for information, readers of your news releases will typically have a higher opinion about the content of your news than if they had only seen it on your company web site. 

The same applies to articles, client testimonials and success stories.  Articles are especially revered as credible because they are normally written on a timely subject or in collaboration with others about a topic of high interest.  When your company name is tied to that article, you are almost immediately considered as an expert resource. 

Similarly, when you have a client success story published in an industry periodical or key publication, readers appreciate learning how a peer experienced a situation similar to their own.  If success stories only appear in your company collateral such as brochures or on your web site, a reader’s acceptance level will vary.  Getting published outside of your own company walls gives a boost to your credibility factor.   

The facts, please

As you implement your PR efforts, stick to the facts.  That’s where you are really going to build credibility.  Keeping your news releases, stories and testimonials factual is not only a PR best practice, but the media will quickly reject anything they perceive as self-promotional.  Save the sizzle for your sales and marketing toolkit.  All PR materials need to focus on the facts of the news item or story.  Otherwise, you may risk being perceived as a horn tooting self-promoter. 

Yielding the benefits

A well-planned, scheduled and implemented public relations effort certainly carries benefits that extend beyond the cherished credibility factor.  By receiving favorable media exposure, your branding message is supported through visibility in key markets.  Your business will likely be recognized as a subject matter expert within your market and as a company with a successful track record.  When you leverage online media, your search engine rankings will also increase through reciprocating links and properly placed meta tags.    

There is much to be gained from the power of PR.  A consistent and well-managed PR program within your marketing roadmap will certainly be rewarding for your business.